The Land is Home Indigenous art exhibition to open at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary Nature Centre
The Land is Home project, the first exhibition in a year-long rotating series of artworks celebrating connections to the land by Indigenous artists, will open to the public tomorrow at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary Nature Centre (2425 Ninth Ave. S.E.). The facility is currently open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free.
Funded by an Alberta Environment Parks grant, the seasonally-themed exhibitions will showcase artworks from Blackfoot, Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda First Nation artists.
The exhibition series will feature a range of art forms including sound installations, poetry, digital artwork, painting, and traditional and cultural arts which have been created to help enhance understanding of Indigenous connections to the land during different seasons, both historically and in the present day.
“Indigenous ideas of ‘home’ are often linked directly to the land – land that has nurtured us for generations – land where we have existed for thousands of years – land where our ancestors thrived and are buried – place names in our languages that also revive the land,” said Jessica McMann, Indigenous Curator for The City of Calgary’s Public Art Program. “The Land Is Home evokes these ideas as well as the real experience of Indigenous people who arrive in their homelands and feel home. It is not necessarily a house or a building but the land itself.”
Over the coming year, the exhibition will serve as a reminder to Calgarians and visitors that Indigenous people have lived on and cared for these lands since time immemorial.
“As Calgary Parks develops new programs and exhibits, truth and reconciliation is always at the forefront,” said Kyle Ripley, Director, Calgary Parks. “We felt it was important to incorporate an Indigenous component into our educational displays at the newly renovated Nature Centre at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Showcasing artworks that reveal the deep connection Indigenous people feel with the land is especially meaningful at the Sanctuary, as Indigenous people are the original stewards of this land and the places we now enjoy as parks. When you encounter each art piece, we hope you will be inspired to remember the long history of this land and think about the role that each of us can play in protecting our environment for future generations.”
The artists represented in the exhibition responded to a public call to artists published in late 2021 and were chosen by a selection panel comprised of members of the Moh’kinsstsis Public Art Guiding Circle. Artworks were selected based on quality of work, connection to the theme, and suitability for gallery or outdoor presentation.
Following the spring exhibition opening tomorrow, the summer, fall and winter exhibitions will open in mid-July, mid-October and mid-January 2023, respectively. Each exhibition will be displayed for approximately 11 weeks.
The Land is Home exhibition schedule:
· Spring: Flight/Arrival/Memory; featuring poetry by Henry Heavyshield, Kainai First Nation, and printmaking by Tara Manyfingers, Kainai First Nation.
· Summer: Divine Feminine; featuring sculpture, watercolour and acrylic painting by Zoe Bucksin, Kanai First Nation, Native Tiktoq by Kelsey Twoyoungmen, Stoney Nakoda First Nation, and digital art by Hali Heavy Shield, Kanai First Nation.
· Fall: Stories of Mini Thni; featuring a painting by Gordon Wesley, Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
· Winter: A Time for Stories; featuring a sound installation by Sonny-Ray Day Rider, Kanai First Nation, a moss bag installation by Amy Hill, Siksika First Nation, and a painting by Shirley Hill, Siksika First Nation.
The spring exhibition can be viewed until July 5. Beginning Sunday, May 1, the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary Nature Centre will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the summer.
More information on the project can be found on calgary.ca/LandIsHome